Electric locomotive



Filed July 14, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

//v lai /V701? Zea/7 Hem/man ATTORNEY 2, 1953 L. HEIDMANN 2,638,056

ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE Filed July 14,, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VEN 70R Z eon Heb/mam? Operating at very low voltage, these. motors F can be insulated for that low voltage to ground and of extremely robust construction. In case of damage to one of them, such damage being notified by a suitable signal or tell-tale device, an individual cut-out switch S allows of isolating it, and the service can continue with the others.

Each fan motor F is cooled by a supply of fresh air, taken in at the second sky-light 28 and drawn along by the fan itself the air passing down a duct within the ventilation channel and escaping through holes in the fan nose, as shown by the arrows in broken lines (in Fig. 3) while the air cooling the resistances circulates upwards past the fan and is driven along the ventilation channel outside the duct therein to escape beneath the cowling 25 as shown by the arrows in full lines. Accessibility to the commutators of these motors F is provided from the side gangways of the locomotive, inspection doors for this purpose being shown by the arrow F; disman- The traction unit I is located between two wide lateral gangways from which it is separated by several doors 29 which allow of inspecting all the internal equipment, including the resistances. These latter are mounted preferably upon insulating supports offusiform section, described in the French patent application filed on June 24, 1946, for Easily Cleaned Supporting Insulators.

Each resistance box can be withdrawn horizontally after dismantling the few connectors which lead thereto.

..The unit l which contains all the electrical gear relating to the traction and to its auxiliary circuits, can be withdrawn upwards in a single piece after simply unwiring the connectors leading to the pantographs and to ground, the cables leading to the motors and the high-tension auxiliaries, and after the separation of a few couplings for the auxiliary circuits; if desired, the resistances can remain in place.

After this withdrawal as a single block, the traction unit can be broken up into several parts which can be forwarded to the various repair or maintenance shops; it is possible, for example, to subdivide it into three parts comprising respectively the fans, the resistances and the remainder which constitutes the traction equipment proper.

The example represented in Figs. 1 to 3, relating to the very unfavourable case of a locomotive of short wheel-base, shows that access to all the Moreover, the feed- :1

Lastly, due to this 4 locomotive of greater length, the end boxes 5 can with advantage be placed at the end of the traction unit 5, in front of the fan and compressor groups 2 and 3. In the case of a locomotive having six axles, the ventilation of the two central traction motors can be furnished for example by two helicoidal fans with vertical shafts, enclosed in the unit I in the manner of the fans 2?, which allows again of installing the unit l in the very .center of the locomotive.

The arrangement described presents in addition the following advantage:

In the case of damage to the operatin means for the cam contactors, their shafts, which are readily accessible, can be operated by hand from anyone of the drivers stands, which allows of effecting notch-by-notch various starting operaapparatus is freely provided. In the case of. a 75 tions.

It is to be noted moreover that the lay-out described allows of placing the parts such as the contactors, relays, controllers, etc., at the most suitable height for their inspection and examination; that the length of all the connectors and cables is reduced to the minimum, and that, in particular, the relative disposition of the contactors and resistances allows the use of straight and practically parallel connectors 23, shown in Fig.3 in the form of tubes or bars, which may be left bare, fixed on the front side of the equip- .ment behind the inspection doors 28 (Fig. 1).

It will be seen also that effective ventilation is obtained by simple means and in a very economical way, and that all the other conditions mentioned in the introduction to this specification are realized completely.

.The advantages of the arrangement described above are more especially appreciable when all the elements of the apparatus, for example the contactors, relays, resistances, etc. are made to be detachable and replaceable very quickly and without special tools.

As a modification, the fans 2'! for the resistances can blow downwards fresh air drawn in through the cowling or sky-light, and in this case the special air inlet 28 for the cooling of the fan motors can evidently be suppressed.

As a further modification, the overhead cowling is suppressed and the cooling air is drawn into the locomotive body through suitably provided louvers til at the sides, the air passing over the lateral cabinets enclosing the groups M, Iii and i8, and escaping through the outlet grating under the ventilated compartment, as shown in the diagram of Fig. 4.

What I claim is:

1. In an electric locomotive of the type having a plurality of traction motors, a central chest provided with doors, two lateral unventilated cabinets for traction control apparatus and a ventilated compartment for air-cooled resistances, means for improving the general lay-out, increasing the efficiency of the cooling system. and corn trolling automatically the forced air-flow through said compartment, comprising an upright ventilation channel located between said lateral cabinets and containing a plurality of individually driven fans, motors for driving said fans being connected in parallel and inserted into a ground connection of said traction motors whereby said fan-driving motors are controlled by'the main current of the traction motors at starting the locomotive.

2. In an electric locomotive according to claim 1, means for controlling economically without auxiliary apparatus the forced air-flow produced aoa'agoaciby said fans, comprising the connection of" said fan-motorsbetween said traction" motors and ground, said fan-motors carrying the mainstarting current. ofat least one of said traction motors, whereby said: fan-motors are automatically controlled. at avery low voltage to ground, and being accordingly insulated for such very low volt age: 7

3. Inv an electric locomotive according to claim 1, means for automatically controlling theforced ,ir-fiow produced. by said fans, according to which said fen-motors are connected in parallel to form a group inserted: between at least one of said traction motors and ground inorderto-oarry the starting current of the locomotive, a contactor provided for the l'ast's'tartin-g notclibeaing connected across said group, whereby the fan motors are equivalent to alast section of starting resistance for said traction motor.

i. In an electric locomotive according to claim 1, means for automatically and economically controlling without, auxiliary apparatus the forced air-flow produced by said fans, characterized by the fact that all said fan-motors are connected in parallel. with a resistance to form a low-voltage group which inserted into the ground connection of one of said traction motors to carry the starting current of the locomotive, and a starting contactor provided for producing the last starting notch is connected for short-circuiting said low-voltage group.

In an electric locomotive or the type having a plurality of traction motors, a central chest provided with doors, two lateral unventilated cabinets for traction control apparatus and a ventilated compartment for air-cooled resistances, means for improving the general lay-out, increasing the eilicienc of the cooling system and con trolling automatically the forced air-flow through said compartment, comprising an upright ventilation channel located between said lateral cabinets and containing a plurality of individually driven fans, motors for driving said fans being inserted into a ground connection of said traction motors, an air-inlet grating under said ventilated compartment, an air-outlet cowling at the upper end of said ventilation channel, and shutters in said cowling.

6. In an electric locomotive of the type having a plurality of traction motors, a central chest provided with doors, two lateral unventilated cabinets for traction control apparatus and a ventilated compartment for air-cooled resistances, means for improving the general lay-out, increasing the efiiciency of the cooling system and controlling automatically the forced air-flow through said compartment, comprising an upright ventilation channel located between said lateral cabinets, said channel having a less height than the roof of the locomotive and containing a plurality of individually driven fans, motors for driving said fans being inserted into a ground connection of said traction motors, lateral air-inlet louvers in the body of the locomotive, and an air-outlet grating under said ventilated compartment.

'7. In an electric locomotive of the type having a pliu'ality of traction motors, a central chest provided with doors, two lateral unventilated cabinets for traction control apparatus and a ventilated compartment for air-cooled resistances, means for improving the general lay-out, increasing the efiiciency of the cooling system and controlling automatically the forced air-flow through said compartment, comprising an upright ventilation channel located between said lateral cabside of: said? chest for operating said: controller;

and mechanism for'manual operation offsaid' con trolmotor.

8-. In an electric locomotivaof; the. types having; a .pluralityof traction motorsacentraltchesitproivided with doors, two lateral. unventilatedzoab inetsfor traction control apparatus and a ventilated compartment for air-cooled resistances, means for improving the genera-llay-out,increasing the efiiciency ofv the cooling system and controlling automatically the forced air-flow through said compartment, comprising an uprightyenth lation channel located between said lateral-cabinets and containing a plurality of individually driven fans, the motors for driving said fans being inserted into a ground connection of said traction motors, and means for cooling said fanmotors, said cooling means comprising an airnlet upon the roof of the locomotive and airconduits interposed between said air-inlet and said fan-motors in order to supply them with fresh air.

9. In an electric locomotive of the type having a plurality of traction motors, a central chest provided with doors, two lateral unventilated cabinets for traction control apparatus and a ventilated compartment for air-cooled resistances, means for improving the general lay-out, increasing the efiiciency of the cooling system and controlling automatically the forced air-flow through said compartment, comprising an upright ventilation channel located between said lateral cabinets and containing a plurality of individually driven fans, motors for driving said fans being inserted into a ground connection of said traction motors, the traction control elements enclosed in said chest being arranged and superposed in such order that they are all interconnected by short detachable leads having the form of practically parallel conductors fixed on the front of the equipment behind said doors in easily accessible positions with said doors opened.

10. In an electric locomotive of the type having traction motor control resistances, fans for cooling said resistances groups of cam-operated contactors cooperating with said resistances, auxiliary control motors for operating separately said groups of contactors, and a central chest enclosing said resistances, fans and contactors, an arrangement and lay-out of said central chest comprising in the upper part of said chest two non-ventilated lateral cabinets for said groups of contactors, between said cabinets an intermediate space for said fans, and interconnected with said intermediate space a ventilated compartment in the lowest part of said chest for said resistances, said auxiliary control motors being located outside of said chest and rotatable by hand for emergency operation of said groups of contactors.

11. In an electric locomotive of the type having a central chest for the electrical traction equipment comprising motor control resistances, fans for cooling said resistances, groups of camoperated contactors co-operating with said resistances, and individual auxiliary control motors for operating said groups of contactors, an arrangement of said chest according to which all said traction equipment with the exception of: said auxiliary control motors is housed inside of said chest, which comprises in its upper part two unventilated lateral cabinets for said groups of contactors, a space for said fans intermediate between said cabinets, and interconnected with said intermediate space a ventilated compartment in the lowest part of said chest for said resistances, said auxiliary control motors being located outside of said central chest and rotatable manually' for emergency hand control of said groups of contactors.

LEON HEIDMANN.

Name Date Number Storer Jan. 1'7, 1911 Number Number Name Date Fishback Oct. 10, 1911 Batchelder July 4, 1916 Morgan Aug. 10, 1926 Buchli Jan. 3, 1928 Moses Sept. 28, 1937 Yingling Apr. 5, 1938 Kjolseth Nov. 14, 1939 Flowers Jan. 21, 1941 Breckenridge Feb. 5, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Jan. 29, 1925 Great Britain June 21, 1929 Switzerland Mar. 1, 1939 

